


Trapped Under Your Spell

by im_just_a_sucker_for_bromance



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Adult Content, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Attraction, Best Friends, Boys Kissing, Calum Hood/Ashton Irwin Smut, Cashton, Cashton can't keep their hands off each other, Cheating, Cheeky Luke, Explicit Language, F/M, Falling In Love, First Kiss, First Time, Gender or Sex Swap, Kissing, M/M, Michael is a Tease, Muke - Freeform, Nudity, Romance, Sexy Girl Michael, Switching Places, Teasing, Twins, girl!michael, sexually confused
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-20
Updated: 2017-11-17
Packaged: 2018-09-18 18:48:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9398279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_just_a_sucker_for_bromance/pseuds/im_just_a_sucker_for_bromance
Summary: Luke was happy with his girlfriend Bella; their lives were simple and easy, with lots of happy-filled moments. Then came Michaela, who decided to play pretend for a while and be her twin while her sister was away; being the playful one, it was all in good fun and no harm was intended. But somehow, Luke was liking the new ‘Bella’, who was wild on a whole other level and she was damn hot, and it was like he was falling in love all over again. When Luke realised the person he had been spending so much time with, was not Bella but Michaela, instead of ending everything, he allowed things to keep going. But to what extent?This is basically the story of a straight guy, his girlfriend's lesbian sister, their two gay best friends and how they fell in love.





	1. Fooled

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the Girl!Michael version of ['Let's Play Pretend'](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9810971)

The smile that Luke had on since he had left home was even brighter as he knocked on the door to his girlfriend’s apartment and he quickly ran a hand through his hair, smoothening them. He had been away for a whole week, with his best friend, Ashton, who thought they needed a vacation and had practically convinced Luke to go with him, and he was thankful because only after being away he had realised he needed that break. However, the moment he got back, there he was, standing in front of that familiar door, the same one he always found himself at whenever he was not busy; ever since he had met Bella, he knew it was love, although Ashton would always tell him otherwise. He patiently waited for the girl to get the door after knocking twice and the moment the door flung open, Luke jumped on her and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, smiling as he inhaled her scent in the process.

“Isabella… How are you, my love?” Luke smiled as he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

Michaela hesitated for a second but then decided to hug the boy back; another person got deceived by how alike her twin and she looked. “I’m good. How are you? Baby?” she said the last word with a hint of uncertainty, not exactly sure what nickname Bella had picked for her boyfriend.

That, of course, went unnoticed by Luke, who closely followed Michaela inside and pulled her into another hug from behind, once the door closed behind them. He wrapped his arms around her waist and placed a kiss to her soft blonde hair. “I missed you so much.”

Michael laughed and leant against Luke’s chest; she never minded boys being close to her because she had never been into them. Since she discovered what sexuality was, she had always been into girls. Being the sexy twin, she always got the most attention from guys but unfortunately for them, she had always turned them down. Turning around, she palmed Luke’s cheek and patted it before pulling away. “I missed you too. I’ll be right back, Babe.”

“Babe?” Luke mumbled to himself when she disappeared in the direction of the kitchen. Bella had never called him like that before but Luke was still buzzing from his flight and thus decided to shrugged it off. Another thing that was unusual was that Bella was wearing those two-piece nighties with tiny shorts, which she never did because she always preferred to wear pyjama pants but Luke also brushed that off, assuming she knew he was coming and wanted to be a little sexy. As it was, there was always a first time for everything.

“Hey Bella, I think your boyfriend is here and…” Michaela smiled playfully.

“And?”

“Nothing, I was just saying… He’s a great hugger, by the way.”

“Michie, what did you do?” Bella raised an eyebrow but also smiled. “Did you pretend to be me again?”

“No, I didn’t have to. He thought I was you and we might have kissed,” Michaela laughed and watched the expression change on Bella’s face.

“What?”

“Just kidding. You should look at your face though. It’s priceless.”

“It was not funny.”

“You think we can fool him a little longer?”

Michaela smiled as she recalled all the times they had fooled others, sometimes just for fun and sometimes to give them a hard time. Like that time when they were in kindergarten and Michaela already had lunch and pretended to be Bella to eat again; she did not really remember that one but their mom always talked about it. Or the other time when Michaela had a test and Bella and she had switched classes because Michaela had not studied. Or the other times where they had so easily fooled their parents, classmates, teachers, relatives, friends and everybody else. Those were definitely the perks of having a twin. Michaela let her mind drift to Luke and she wondered whether Luke would know if she pretended to be Bella.

They had not switched places in forever and Michaela wanted to know if they could still do it convincingly and get away with it or they would get caught. Bella and she were different now; they were adults, they liked different things, they dressed differently and they had different personalities. When they were kids, Karen used to dress them the same and bought everything same for both of them but things started to change when they became teenagers; although the bond they shared had never changed and they were still as close as they used to be. They may have been wearing different kind of clothes for a while but at that moment, they were wearing identical pyjamas that Michaela had gotten them and if someone saw them in different places, they would say they were the same person. Well, physically they were almost similar but the differences were on the inside.

Michaela nudged Bella. “Let’s do it.”

“No,” Bella firmly said and left. “Hey, Sweetie,” she smiled as she walked towards Luke and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I missed you.”

Luke pulled away and looked at her, with a smile. “You said it already.”

Bella was going to raise an eyebrow but then she realised it was probably Michaela, who had told Luke that. Michaela and her pranks, they did not surprise her anymore. “I know I did but I’m saying it again. I missed you.”

“Me too,” Luke said while stroking Bella’s cheek with the back of his fingers. “Wanna go to the movies tonight?”

“Yeah, that would be great. We can even dine out,” Bella proposed. “But for now, I’m gonna get you something to eat,” she pulled away when she heard a grumble in Luke’s stomach.

“No, we’ll get breakfast later. For now, I just want to cuddle.”

“It’ll only take a couple of minutes, I was already making coffee. Be right back.”

Luke sighed when Bella again disappeared in the kitchen; he only wanted to spend some time with Bella but his girlfriend was always busy, especially with work and at that moment, with breakfast.

“Are we doing it?” Michaela asked, the moment Bella was back beside her.

“For the tenth time, no,” Bella shook her head and poured two cups coffee.

“Why not? Where is mischievous Bella? Who are you? Give me my sister back,” Michaela moved closer to Bella and poked her in the ribs continuously. “I’ve only been gone for two years and things are already looking different.”

After she had dropped out of her literature classes at uni, Michaela had stayed at home, figuring out what she should do next because literature was clearly not her thing; unlike Bella, who had chosen to complete her journalism course and even pursued her dream career as a reporter. It had taken time but Michaela finally went to get a degree in acting instead. There she was back home and she felt there were so many new things she had to learn. Although she had constantly been in contact with everybody while she was away, nothing seemed to be how they were when she had left. Bella had always been different from her, she had always been the responsible one but that did not prevent her from being fun and mischievous at times, another thing which seemed to be missing.

“Stop being childish,” Bella warned, pushing Michaela’s hand away and trying to hide her laughter. “Stop or you’ll make me spill these everywhere.”

“I’ve always been a child at heart. Just say yes, five minutes.”

“This is not like school or some kid games or something.”

“Since when did you turn into one of those robot adults who have no fun in their lives?” Michaela groaned. “Life is always better when you’re having a bit of fun.”

“And since when did you turn so philosophical?”

“Well, I have my moments,” she grinned. “Come on…”

“This is my boyfriend we’re talking about.”

“I know he’s your boyfriend. Don’t worry, he’s in safe hands. You should trust me. And besides, I’m not into guys. I like girls.”

Bella sighed; she knew Michaela was not going to give up, she never did. She knew if she refused again, Michaela would eventually end up convincing her otherwise. “Fine, five minutes, not more.”

“Not less either. And Bella, you’re the best.” Michaela grabbed the toasts that Bella had made and placed them on a tray, along with the coffees before taking it to the living room, where Luke was lounging on the couch and flipping through the pages of a magazine that he had brought along. “What are you reading?” she asked as she sat beside Luke.

“Nothing, just random stuffs,” Luke shrugged. “Come cuddle?”

Michaela grinned and wrapped her arms around Luke’s middle, pulling him closer. “You smell nice.”

Luke also wrapped his arms around Michaela and sighed happily. “And you smell like…”

“Like I haven’t had a shower yet,” Michaela laughed and caused Luke to laugh too. “Your laugh is so fucking cute.”

Luke was about to say something about that comment but then, somebody who appeared in the doorway caught his eyes. “Ahem… am I disturbing or something?” Bella asked and placed a hand on hip.

Luke immediately pulled away and looked back and forth between the two of them, confused. “What’s going on?”

“Bella, seriously, it’s not even two minutes,” Michaela shook her head.

“Wait! You’re not Bella?”

“Hi, I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced,” Michaela chuckled from beside Luke. “I’m Michaela, Bella’s one and only gorgeous twin.”

“I… huh… I…” Luke stuttered; he had heard a lot about Bella’s sister and how much alike they were before but he had never met her. “You girls look so much alike.”

“Do we?” Michaela got up and walked to Alex before wrapping her arm around the other girl’s shoulder. “Do we now? I never realised. Mom should’ve told us, I feel betrayed.”

“Don’t mind Michaela. She’s just… that’s how she is,” Bella pushed Michaela away and walked to Luke before cuddling with him.

“Does she always pretend to be you?”

“Hey, I don’t pretend to be her, it’s a mutual agreement,” Michaela corrected.

“You mean you always convince me to be part of that,” Bella stated.

“Oh come on, just because you’re older than me doesn’t mean you have to blame me for everything,” Michaela threw her hands in the air and rolled her eyes.

“Is she always that dramatic?” Luke whispered to Bella, who nodded.

“No whispering, I’m right here,” Michaela said loudly. “So, Luke, you’re a writer, I hear.”

“Yeah, I write stuffs but nothing important yet.”

“I’m sure you must have something because Bella praises you all the time,” Michaela said and grabbed Bella’s coffee.

“Get your own.”

“Sharing is caring. We’ve always shared everything. We’ve been sharing things since forever. We even shared a uterus,” Michaela laughed when she looked at Bella and Luke’s faces.

“Michie, don’t be gross,” Bella made a face. “Don’t you have somewhere to be? I thought you were going out. I know how much time you take to get ready, why don’t you get started?”

“I get it folks; I’m not needed here. I’m getting out of your faces and let you get all over each other.” Michaela took a big gulp of the coffee before going to her room.

“Please don’t mind Michie. She can be a bit straight-forward sometimes,” Bella grabbed the plate and handed it to Luke.

“Don’t worry, I think she’s funny and she seems nice.”

“Yeah, she’s nice but she can be a bit crazy at times. I’m glad she’s back.”

“Umm… Bella? There’s something I have to tell you,” Luke slowly said.

“What is it?”

“I was thinking that maybe we could spend some more time together. You’ve been so busy. Do you think that maybe you could take a break or something?”

“I’m always here,” Bella laughed. “And we’re going out tonight, which is great.”

“Alright guys, I’ll see you later. And Bella, don’t wait for me tonight,” Michaela again walked into the room, thirty minutes later, to find the other two kissing on the couch. “I might be late or maybe I’ll crash at Calum’s,” she said as she took a buttered toast and grabbed her phone from the table.

“That was fast. I hope you didn’t throw your clothes everywhere in your room because I’m not gonna clean-up for you.”

“I’ll do it when I get back. Love you, sis.”

“Michie when will you learn…” Bella sighed because the door had closed before she had time to finish her sentence. “That girl I tell you.”

“So, Calum is dating your sister?”

Bella laughed at the question. “No, they’ve just been really close since we were kids. Michie doesn’t do boys and Calum doesn’t do girls.”

“You look nice. Love the outfit,” Luke said as he ran his hand up her bare thigh. “I’ve never seen you dress like this before. That’s a first.”

“That’s Michie’s doing. She only came back yesterday and she got us these matching nighties. She insisted.”

“That’s nice. It’s a good change,” Luke said and his lips were on hers again.

**The next morning…**

Michaela groaned as she again rejected a call and tried to get some more sleep; she had partied with Calum until the early hours of the morning and that obnoxious phone was ruining her sleep. Her head was still buzzing from the amount of alcohol she had consumed and she was in desperate need of sleep but that phone was again ringing. Who was calling her at that time? She pretty sure it was not even eight and on normal occasions, when she had gone out drinking with Calum, her childhood friend and best friend, late afternoon would be the time when she would finally get out of bed and everybody who knew her knew that. Another ringing tone and Michaela was officially awake. She again rejected the call, without checking who was calling, and rubbed her eye with the back of his hand as she walked to the kitchen to get a drink, groaning when she realised that she was still wearing the makeup of the previous night and it was all smudged on the back of her hand.

Michaela dropped herself on the couch and sipped at a glass of water, happy that the headache was not as severe as she had anticipated. She slouched down, almost spilling the water on herself, and cursed before setting the glass on the table. That was when a blank paper caught her eyes and she reached for it only to realised it was not so blank after all; it was a note from Bella. Why would Bella leave her a note when they stayed in the same house? On top of that, she was not in the mood for reading at that moment, considering her vision was still blurry from the lack of sleep.

_Hey Michie_  
_Sorry you were still sleeping when I left_  
_And I didn’t want to wake you up_  
_So that’s why I’m leaving you this note_  
_Don’t know if you went to the kitchen yet_  
_But I left you some aspirins on the counter._

“Don’t tell me you ran away the moment I’m back? It’s not fair, I was looking forward to spend time with you,” Michaela whined.

_I had this important assignment and I had no choice_  
_I’ll be out of town for a few weeks_  
_And yes, I know you must be mad at me for leaving_  
_But I promise I’ll make it up to you when I get back_  
_One more thing, I didn’t really know how to tell Luke_  
_Because he wanted me to take a break from work_  
_And I was hoping that when he’d come by_  
_You’d ease him into it_  
_You know, don’t just blurt it out to him_  
_Go gently because I don’t want him to be upset_  
_I hope you’ll be wise for once_  
_And I’m counting on you_  
_Thanks and love you little sis_  
_Bella xx_

Michaela rolled her eyes; that was not a note, definitely not, that was a freaking letter. She was still hangover and she should be in bed but instead, she was reading Bella’s letter. Why leave her a letter when she could have texted him? She knew Bella was obsessed with writing but the note was a little bit too long for her liking. Then something caught her attention; the letter was nothing useful to her because all Bella wanted her to do was to inform Luke about her trip.

“Great Bella. The moment I’m back, you’re using me. I love you too but I’ll get you for that. How am I supposed to deal with your boyfriend? I barely know him,” Michaela yawned. “We’ll think about that later. Right now we need more sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep,” she kept mumbling as she walked back to her bedroom, in a zombie-like way.

The moment she closed her eyes, her phone was ringing again and that time, she decided to see who it was because it did not look like the person would stop calling. “Hun Bun?” Michaela creased her eyebrows. “Who the hell is Hun Bun? And what does it want with me?”

She stared at the name across the screen, unable to decide if she should pick up or not. She did not save anybody’s number as Hun Bun on her phone, unless it was somebody from the previous night. Michaela shook her head at that thought, she had never given anyone her number, no matter how much she had ever been drunk. It was then that she noticed she had seventeen missed calls from that mysterious Hun Bun, who seemed to have taken a liking to her. She scrolled down in her contact to find Calum’s number, only to realise there were names in there that she did not know or heard of.

“That’s not my phone,” Michaela said as she stared at the device. “Bella, you have my phone. Why do you have my phone? Stupid Bella.”

Then it hit her; she must have taken the wrong phone from the table when she had gone out the previous day. Calum had been telling her that he had called several times but she did not get any because she was holding on to the wrong phone and since Bella was gone for a few weeks, she would have to deal with that phone itself. As if on cue, the phone again rang and Michaela cursed at the device. She would talk to Hun Bun, who she concluded was Luke, later. For the time being, she would just turn it off and sleep.

 


	2. Not The Right One

Calum dropped his bag on the couch and walked to the kitchen, where Michaela had walked to, after opening the door to let him in. He smiled when he saw her behind the counter, actively preparing something, and he walked to the fridge to pour himself a glass of juice before taking a seat on the chair, at the round table. “Where’s Bellatrix? She texted me and told me to meet her tonight.”

“No,” Michaela turned around and smiled as she wiped her hands in a towel. “I texted you. Our phones got exchanged. Bummer, right? That’s why I didn’t get your calls or texts last night.”

“Why didn’t you get it back?”

“That’s the thing, Bella left early this morning and I was still sleeping. She took my phone along and went out of town. She won’t be back for a few weeks and I’m stuck with this phone. The worst thing is that I have this massive headache and Luke keeps calling every five minutes. He’s so clingy. Doesn’t he have a life?”

“For all I know, that’s how Bella is too. All she ever did when you weren’t around was, talk about Luke.”

“You must be glad I’m back then,” she laughed.

“Of course, I am. So, does Bella know she has your phone?” the brunette asked as he took a sip of his orange juice.

“I don’t know. I haven’t really talked to her.”

“Does Luke know you have Bella’s phone?”

“I don’t think so and I don’t think Bella called him because she left me that letter,” Michaela sighed as he thought about it and what Bella had asked her to do.

“A letter? That’s romantic,” Calum laughed. “What were you making? I’m hungry.”

“Spaghetti and meatballs,” Michaela wriggled her eyebrows as Calum rubbed his palms together. “And here’s the letter.”

Setting the paper on the table, Calum looked at the pan. “Is it ready yet?”

“Yes.”

“Great, let’s serve it. So, are you gonna tell him you’re Michaela?” Calum asked after reading the note and shove a forkful of spaghetti into his mouth.

“Duh, of course I’m gonna tell him I’m Michaela,” Michaela shook her head as she kept eating. “Besides, even if I don’t, he’s gonna realise I’m not his girlfriend when he comes over. I’m pretty sure that will be soon since I’m not returning any of his calls or texts.”

“Yeah, but imagine the things you could do with him if you pretend to be Bella,” Calum smirked.

“What?”

“He’s hot, like really hot.”

“Fuck off! He’s my sister’s boyfriend and I’m not interested. I don’t swing that way, remember?”

“I know you’re not into guys but there’s always a first time for everything.”

“Ugh… that’s gross. No offense but I seriously cannot imagine a naked guy pressed against me.”

“You’ve seen me naked countless times. I’m not gross.”

“You’re different. You don’t want to put your dick in me. You’re into guys, it’s ok if you fancy him.”

“Why am I not Bella’s twin brother?” Calum sighed.

“Because you can’t and you’re being stupid. Can we stop talking about Luke now? Or how hot you think he is? Why don’t we talk about me instead? Did you miss me while I was away?”

“No, not really.”

“Ouch, that’s embarrassing and mean and not cool. I’m really hurt. You’re my best friend, Cal. You, out of all people, should have missed me.”

“If only you had given me the chance to. I mean, we skyped every single day.”

“Yeah, but you still should have missed me. I wasn’t here physically,” Michaela pouted and took another bite.

“You want to get physical? I don’t mind,” Calum laughed.

“You’re hopeless. I believe getting dump is really taking a toll on you. You’re going mad.”

“Can we not talk about that jerk? I was having such a good time.”

Michaela apologised when she recalled the whole tragic story that Calum had told her about how his ex of three years had dumped him after Calum had caught him in bed with another guy. At first, Calum was a little shaken but eventually he had moved on because at the end of their relationship, things had not been going quite well; they had drifted apart and a break up was obvious. Still, Michaela wished she had been there for Calum but she could not drop out of university again and even though she was far away, she did her best to try and cheer the brunette up. Once that conversation had been pushed aside, they started talking about old times and crazy things that they used to do as kids; also planning what crazy things they would do next.

**1 Hour Later**

Michaela cursed as her phone vibrated from under her thigh and tried to ignore the ticklish sensation against her leg while trying to keep her eyes on the screen. Calum and she were playing a car racing game, which she was winning, but the vibrating phone was disturbing her and disrupting her concentration. Whoever was calling would have to wait because Michaela knew it was not important since it was not her phone. She groaned as she missed a turn and Calum overtook her. As she again overtook Calum, the phone again rang and she almost dropped her controller, causing Calum to snicker as he again took the lead. It was a matter of seconds before Calum won the race and jumped in the air with a triumphant grin.

“If it’s Luke, I’m gonna kill him,” Michaela said angrily and took the phone in her hand. She scoffed as she turned the screen towards Calum to show him the caller: Hun Bun.

“Who’s that?”

“Duh, Luke, who else?”

“Pick up if he calls again.”

“No, I don’t even know how to tell him Bella is away.”

Calum bit the corner of his bottom lip mischievously. “You don’t have to. Just pretend you’re Bella.”

“For the hundredth time, no. This is a bad idea. I’ll just ignore him. He’ll eventually stop calling.”

“It doesn’t look like he’s gonna stop calling. I’m not saying you should pretend to be her for long, although that would have been fun. All you have to do is answer the phone, say it’s Bella and tell him you’re away and you’ll call him yourself. Done, he’ll stop calling.”

“I barely know him. What if I mess up and he gets mad at Bella because of me?”

“At least you’d know you did what she asked you to. He’s not your boyfriend, he’s Bella’s boyfriend. She can deal with him when she gets back,” Calum shrugged. “What about that girl you were dating while you were away?”

“We broke up before I came back because she thought I was not spontaneous enough and I’m not right for her.”

Calum laughed at that statement. “You and not be spontaneous? That’s ridiculous.”

“I know. I guess she just wanted an excuse. Anyways, I’m so over her. I’ll probably find someone better.”

** Two days later…  **

Luke sighed as he tried to keep his calm; he had been trying to call Bella since the previous morning and all the girl did was, ignore him. Taking a deep breath, he dialled the number again and waited for an answer. His wait, which was a short one, ended when he was sent straight to Bella’s voicemail. Letting out a frustrated groan, he threw the phone in the backseat and crossed his arms over his chest. Ashton glanced sideways at him and shook his head. For two days, Luke had been complaining that Bella was not talking to him and he was sure if he asked him anything, that will be the beginning of another rant.

“This is the limit Ashton, I’m telling you.” Luke muttered, his anger apparent in his tone.

“Yeah, you’ve been saying that since the morning and then five minutes later, you end up calling her again. What’s with the mood swing?”

“How can someone ignore you that many times? I must have called her fifty times already.”

“If someone calls me fifty times in a row, I’m definitely going to start ignoring him too,” Ashton snickered. “Don’t you think you’re being annoying, clingy…”

“Shut up, Ashton! It’s not funny.”

“What? Maybe she’s busy… give her some space, dude. The more you try to invade her space, the more she’ll drive you away.”

“Busy? How busy can someone be that she can’t answer a phone call? She could simply say hi or ask if I’m alright. It doesn’t take a minute.”

“Maybe she doesn’t wanna talk to you then. Or she’s fed up and wants to move on.”

“No, you’re wrong…”

Although he had confidently answered Ashton, deep down he was not so sure about himself. What if Ashton was right? What if Bella did not want to talk to him anymore? What if she was tired of having him around because he was being clingy? It was not a problem before, he had always been clingy but Bella was always busy with work and the past weeks, they barely met each other. The real question was, was she really busy? Or was work only an excuse? He had known Bella for nine months and although Bella was not very outgoing, she was very straightforward with whatever she was dealing with; she would not have lied to Luke if she did not want to spend time with him. Something was definitely wrong and Ashton was not helping, even though he might be right. No, he was not right. Luke shook that thought out of his head; Ashton always had the tendency to create doubts in the back of his head for no real reason and he was not going to let that happen that time.

“Hey, where are you lost?”

“She’s not sick of me,” Luke repeated.

“Ok, if you say so… why isn’t she answering your calls then?”

Luke bit his lip. “Huh… maybe she lost her phone?” Reaching in the backseat, he again took his phone.

“Seriously? You’re calling her again? You just said she lost her phone. How will that help if you call her?”

“I don’t know,” Luke sighed.

“Don’t call her.”

“I’m not… I’m only checking the time,” Luke said but he knew Ashton could see right through his lie.

“Do you think I’m a fool?”

“Fine,” Luke made a face and put the phone away.

“Fuck…” Ashton mumbled.

“What?”

“I know why you’re so desperately trying to reach Bella. You’re horny and you’re craving to have sex with your girlfriend.”

“No… it’s not like that. We don’t always have sex.”

“Because your girlfriend is boring and uptight,” Ashton laughed, without taking his eyes off the road.

“No, stop saying that. She’s not, she’s nice,” Luke said before laughing along.

“Oh, you wish she’d let you have sex with her whenever you want to.”

“Shut up! I’m not some kind of sex addict.”

“Yeah? You and your last girlfriend could barely keep your clothes on. Tell me about that?”

“Next conversation, please.”

“I wonder how you guys are still together. You’re like the complete opposite of each other.”

“Because everything happens for a reason. Opposites attract.”

“I don’t see any reasons here but we’ve reached your destination.”

“Thanks for the ride.”

“Do you want me to wait for you?”

“Why would you wanna wait?”

“In case Miss Boring is really over you and she kicks you out. How are you gonna go back home?”

“Shut up and bye. I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye.”

“Tomorrow? We live together. We can see each other tonight… unless you’ve made up with Miss Boring and you guys are fucking tonight.”

“Oh, fuck off already.”

“Alright. I’ll see you when you get home, which is probably tonight.”

Waving at Ashton a last time, Luke walked towards the building while fishing for the keys, which Bella had given him but he had never used, from his shoulder bag. If Bella did not want to talk to him, then he was going to surprise her.

**Meanwhile…**

Michaela stepped under the water jet and rinsed the last bit of soap off her back before turning the water off and stepping out of the cubicle, humming at the same time. She dried herself, patted the excess water from her hair and then tossed the towel to the floor. Grabbing another one, she wrapped it around her body and got out of the bathroom. Unaware of Calum waiting outside the door, Michaela was taken by surprise when Calum pulled the towel off her and ran down the hallway with it while laughing maniacally; after that long and hot shower, she had completely forgotten that Calum was still there. She groaned inwardly as she ran after the brunette, chasing him into the living room and bumping into Luke’s side accidentally.

“Shit!” Michaela whispered.

“Hi,” Luke raised an eyebrow at the situation. Biting his lower lip, he let his eyes trail from Michaela’s damp hair, to her face, down her chest, her stomach and stopped between her legs.

Realising where Luke’s eyes were, Michael quickly put a hand in front of her to hide herself before grabbing a pillow from the couch, covering her lower body and placing her other hand over her boobs as she turned red from embarrassment. “I’ll… I’ll be right back.” she quickly turned around, while keeping the pillow in front of her, and walked to her room.

“I can see your butt,” Calum laughed loudly.

“Shut up!” Michaela groaned and shifted the pillow to cover her ass. She closed the door behind her and let out another groan. “How could I be so stupid? This would not have happened if I had ignored Calum and had gone to wear some clothes instead of running after him.”

“Hey Michie,” Calum said as he poked his head through the door.

“What?”

“I should get going.”

“But you said you’d stay over.”

“I never said that. I said I’d stay over for the weekend and it’s not the weekend yet and I have to get to work early tomorrow. I’ll see you on Friday?”

“What? You can’t leave me with Luke. What am I gonna tell him?”

“Just tell him that you’re Michaela and he’ll leave.”

“What if he doesn’t?”

“Stop acting like a baby. He will.”

“Calum please, do something,” Michaela said.

“Fine, I’ll send him off.”

“You’re a sweetheart. Thanks.”

“Ok, bye.” Calum waved and walked back into the living room. “Bella’s not home and me and Michie are going out. You can stay if you want but I don’t know what time Bella would be back.”

“I’ll wait for Bella,” Luke smiled.

“Michie is like really embarrassed that you saw her naked. You know, you being her sister’s boyfriend and all,” Calum said, hoping that would get Luke to leave.

“Huh…” Luke bit his lower lip and looked in the direction where Michaela went to. “I guess I’ll come back later then, when Bella’s here. Just so I don’t embarrass her more.”

“Cool, I’ll walk you out. I was leaving too.”

“I thought you were going out with Michaela,” Luke frowned.

Calum laughed nervously. “Yeah, I’ll wait for her outside… downstairs… girls, you know how long they take to get ready.”

**Forty-four minutes later…**

After grabbing some pyjamas from Bella’s closet because she did not unpack yet, Michaela pulled them on without bothering to wear any undies and took a seat on the edge of the bed before taking a deep breath. The wheels in her brain were working double times as she tried to come up with the best and simplest way to tell Luke that Bella was out of town; Calum might have sent him away but she knew she would not be able to keep him away for ever and he would show up again. However, none of the excuses she could possibly think of sounded good enough. She was brought out of her thoughts when a pair of lips were pressed against hers.

“Do you intend to hide from me forever?” Luke smiled as he sat next to Michaela. He figured out that after almost an hour, Michaela must have left and Bella was back.

“What?” Michaela frowned; whatever had come out of Luke’s mouth was just a distorted sound as her brain was still trying to process the fact that Luke had just kissed her. She had never kissed a guy before and never had she thought that she ever would.

“Bella? Are you there?”

“I’m not Bella. I’m Michie.”

It was Luke’s turn to frown; did Bella say what he thought she had said? “You’re messing with me?” he finally asked when he realised that he had been fooled once already.

“No, I’m really Michaela,” she said carefully.

“Ok, I’m gonna call Bella then.” Before Michaela had the time to say anything, Luke had dialled the number and Bella’s phone was ringing on the mattress behind them. “Nice try, Love. You actually got me.”

Michaela was about to talk again but Luke had pressed his index to her lips and had shushed her before pushing her backward on the bed. The index trailed from her mouth, down her neck and to the middle of her chest, between her boobs. Michaela gulped when Luke’s hand stopped there and she regretted not having worn any underwear. Then, Luke settled beside her and propped his head on one of his elbows as he watched her face. Michaela closed her eyes; all kind of things were rushing through her head. Where was she trapped? Why did Bella do that to her? What was she going to do? What was Luke going to do? Before she knew it, Luke’s lips were again on hers and her eyes shot open.

 


	3. I Like What I See

Michaela stared right at the boy, who had his eyes closed and lips against hers, and cursed inwardly as her limbs refused to move. It was like she was frozen on the spot. She wanted to push Luke away, she had to; whatever was happening was wrong and she should end it that instant but she somehow could not. What happened next completely caused her to lose all the power she had in her because the moment Luke had cupped her cheek, Michaela’s eyes automatically fluttered close. On the other hand, Luke felt like something was not right because the blonde was not kissing him back and for a moment, Luke was not sure if it was Bella or Michaela who was next to him. He was about to pull away when Michaela enclosed her lips around his and kissed him back, instantly clearing all of Luke’s doubts.

Taking Michaela’s bottom lip between his teeth, Luke sucked it into his mouth and let his thumb stroke her cheek. When Michaela gasped and slightly parted her lips, Luke pushed his tongue into her mouth and licked the inner side of her cheek before pressing their tongues together. She was eagerly kissing him and unlike other times when Luke had kissed Bella, it was quickly turning Luke on. The hand that Michaela had on his hip tightened its grip and her long fingernails were digging into his skin, creating small reddish crescents into his pale skin. Luke let out a moan into Michaela’s mouth and, trailing his hand further down her chest and stomach, he slipped it into her pyjama bottom, smiling into the kiss when he realised that she was not wearing anything underneath.

The moment Luke’s hand made contact with her fold, Michaela was brought back to reality and she grabbed Luke’s hand, preventing him from going further. “Wait…” she whispered.

“What’s wrong?” Luke asked as he pulled away and frowned.

“I… huh…” Michaela stuttered but then recomposed herself as she mentally kicked herself; what was she thinking? She could not let Luke know she was not Bella because she did not want to make a fool of herself. Neither did she want Luke to think that she willingly allowed him to kiss and touch her and Michaela, being the good actress that she was, should be able to pull that off. “I’m tired. I want to sleep. Can we just sleep?” she asked as she faked a yawn.

Luke smiled. “Yeah.”

Michaela sighed inwardly at the answer; she was glad that Luke was the kind of boyfriend, who was understanding and did not insist on the sex part, although she still thought he was clingy. She shifted higher up on the bed and patted the mattress beside her, motioning for Luke to join her. “You’re such a sweetheart,” she smiled and pressed a kiss to Luke’s cheek before pulling the blanket over their bodies and turning the lights off.

“Good night,” Luke whispered against the back of her neck and then pressed a kiss to her shoulder before hugging her from behind.

Michaela sighed as Luke’s bare chest made contact with her back and he slipped a hand under her tee, to wrap it around her waist. She closed her eyes; although she knew she would not be able to sleep as long as she was in the same bed as Luke, especially when Luke was lightly breathing against her neck and she could feel the heat coming from his body. After long minutes of being curled together, Michaela heard soft snores coming from the other boy and as Luke’s grip loosened around her waist, she could tell for sure that Luke was fast asleep. Carefully and quietly, she unhooked Luke’s arm from around her and after getting off the bed, Michaela stripped out of Bella’s clothes and made sure to leave all of her sister’s belonging in her room before going back to her own room, where she hoped to get some sleep. It was the first time in her life she wished she did not have a twin, just a sister would have been fine. Where was she stuck because of Bella?

**Next Morning**

Michaela happily hummed to the song playing on the radio as she started the kettle and proceeded to make herself some pancakes. After much struggle, the previous night she had managed to fall asleep after getting thoughts of Luke kissing and touching her out her head; it had taken a while but she did it. For the first time in her life, a guy had kissed her, she had kissed him back and he even had his hand in her most private part. A guy, who also happened to be her sister’s boyfriend; what was she thinking? So, when she had woken up that morning, Michaela had made sure to wear her own clothes, just to avoid any more confusions, and she hoped that day she looked less like her twin and more like herself.

“Good morning,” Michaela grinned when Luke appeared in the doorway, his hair still messy on his head. “Wow, you look like a wreck. What did you and Bella do last night?” she added with a laughed.

“Michaela?” Luke raised an eyebrow and looked at her as she walked to the round table; he was confused for a second and did not know whether he was looking at his girlfriend or her sister. However, that doubt quickly got cleared out when he saw the tight tank top that she was wearing. He also noticed that her nipples were showing through the cotton material of the top. Letting his eyes drift lower, he saw that she had some tiny shorts on and he could not help but wonder if she was wearing anything under them. Luke mentally kicked himself at that thought; why was he even thinking about that? That was his girlfriend’s sister for heaven’s sake and it made it so wrong and inappropriate. Who could blame him anyway? He was a guy and he was allowed to look.

“Yeah?” Michaela smiled.

“Nothing… just making sure.” He shook his head and walked further into the kitchen.

“Getting confused?” Michaela again laughed. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. You know once we were in high school and my girlfriend kissed Bella, thinking it was me. It was pretty awkward.”

Luke laughed along. “I’m glad I asked then.”

“Hey, you know what, we should go out together sometimes.”

“What?”

“No, not together-together, together as in me, you, Bella and Calum. It would be fun. We’ll get trashed and pass out.”

“I don’t think that’s Bella’s thing.”

“Yeah, my sister is boring. You want some breakfast?”

“No, thank you. I’m actually looking for Bella. Do you know where she is?”

“Wait, let me see. Under the table, nope. In the cupboard, not there either. No, I don’t know where she is.”

“Very funny, Michaela.”

“You sure you don’t want some breakfast? Knowing Bella, she probably left for work already. Besides, I’ve been told I make excellent pancakes.”

“Alright then.”

Michaela grabbed a mug and poured herself some coffee before taking a sip from it while pushing a plate in Luke’s direction. “Here you go.”

“That’s my mug,” Luke pointed out.

Michaela looked at the mug, then back at Luke. “You have a mug. This is my house and I don’t even own a mug. Thanks Bella, that was very considerate of you,” she said out loud to her absent sister.

“I’ll just use another one.”

Michaela joined Luke at the round table, taking a seat opposite of him, and took another bite of her chocolate-coated pancakes. Luke looked at her from under his lashes as she munched on the pancake but Michaela ignored him and kept eating. The room turned silent as the two of them directed their attentions to their own plates. Biting her lips, Michaela let her eyes fall on Luke’s face and suddenly, memories of the previous night came flashing back. She had kissed the boy in front of her, the boy who happened to be her twin’s boyfriend, and if she was completely honest with herself, she actually liked it. Kissing Luke felt different from kissing girls but it felt good, too good for her own health. She knew she was ogling but she could not keep her eyes off Luke’s lips; every time she would divert her gaze, her eyes kept being drawn back to them.

Finally, after much mental debates, she diverted her gaze to her coffee. What was happening to her? Why was she finding a guy’s lips hot? She had never been attracted to boys’ lips before and it was like a weird unknown feeling. She had always been close to Calum and never once had she been attracted to him or wanted to kiss him. The only Hood she had ever fantasised about was Calum’s sister. Anyways, that was off topic and she should probably return her attention back to Luke, just so he did not think she was being rude and ignoring him while he was at her house. Talking about Luke, one thing that she had not fail to notice when she had first met him a couple of days earlier was his eyes and she had instantly thought they were pretty. Lifting her head to look at Luke’s blue eyes because that was a safer territory, that was when she realised where Luke’s eyes were; she had been too busy looking at Luke’s lips that she had not realised what Luke was looking at.

“Huh, hello?” Michaela said as she waved a hand in front of him.

“Yeah? You’re right, you make good pancakes,” Luke said without taking his eyes off.

“My eyes are on my face, not in the middle of my chest,” Michaela stated and threw a napkin at his face.

“What?”

“Stop looking at my boobs.”

“You can’t blame me. You’re putting them on display,” Luke laughed lightly.

“You’re wrong. You shouldn’t be looking there, Bella might not like it,” Michaela smiled as she played along.

“But Bella is not here, is she?” Luke licked his lips and looked right at her.

“Boys will always be boys,” Michaela threw her hands in the air. “Are you going to be waiting around for Bella to get back from work?”

“Why you want me to stay?” Luke asked playfully and laughed.

“Oh shut up. You’re not my type.”

“Yeah, Bella told me. It was a nice chat and I would love to chat more but I have to go. Thank you for the lovely breakfast.”

“Hey,” Michaela called when Luke reached the kitchen door. “Do you need a ride?”

“It’s ok but I’ve already called Ashton, my best friend. Thanks anyway.”

**Twenty-three minutes later…**

“Hey,” Ashton said when Luke entered the car. “Judging by the look on your face, I can tell that you and Bella made up last night.”

“Morning,” he grinned. “What took you so long anyway? I’ve been waiting here for ages.”

“Duh… it’s not magic. It takes time to travel from one place to another with all this traffic. Plus, I’m not your driver.”

“But you’re my best friend,” Luke patted Ashton’s arm.

“I still can’t do magic. So, where are we going?”

“Home.”

“Can we grab some breakfast on the way?” Ashton asked when he heard a loud grumble in his stomach.

“I already had breakfast.”

“Now I feel even more like your chauffeur.”

“I wasn’t going to but Michaela insisted and I’m glad she did because the pancakes were awesome.”

Ashton frowned. “Michaela? Who is Michaela? I thought you were with Bella.”

“Yeah I was but she left for work and Michaela, who is Bella’s sister offered me some breakfast.”

“So, what happened with Bella? Did you two sort things out?”

“Yeah we’re good. I thought you wanted some breakfast on the way,” Luke said when Ashton took the way home.

“I’ll have some cereals.”

“You know, Michaela is pretty cool. If you meet her, you’re sure to like her. She’s hot.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t swing that way. I love dicks.”

“She’s not into guys either, unfortunately?”

“Unfortunately? For who? For you?” Ashton raised an eyebrow.

“No, just saying in general.”

Luke let his thoughts wander to Michaela. Although she was Bella’s twin, the two of them seemed to be so different from one another. From what Luke had seen, Michaela was the crazy and sexy one while Bella was the tamed and simple one. He only met her twice and he could tell that Michaela was a nice girl and she was a lot of fun to hang out with. After meeting Bella, Luke had lost the wild side of his personality; he did not do crazy things anymore and he was more grounded but somehow after meeting Michaela, she reminded him of himself and how he used to be.

“Good because I thought you were having second thoughts,” Ashton said after a long moment. “For a second, it sounded as though you’d rather pick Miss Sexy over Miss Boring,” he smiled as he stopped the car in the driveway.

“Wait up!” Luke called after him as the older boy was already making his way to the front door. “Why would you say that?”

“I don’t know, just an observation.”

“We live in the same house. We’ve known each other most of our lives and you should know how I feel about Bella. Ashton wait!” Luke groaned when Ashton got inside and walked towards the kitchen.

“You don’t know that. You just think it’s love.”

“I don’t think, I know it is. You just don’t like her.”

“Blah blah blah… It’s just that you used to be different before you met that girl,” Ashton stated and added under his breath, “boring woman.”

“I know she’s not very outgoing but it’s not very nice to keep saying that she’s boring. Even Michaela said that.”

“See, if her sister also thinks so, it must be true.”

“Oh please. Don’t start.”

“You two have been dating for six months…”

“Seven and a half to be exact,” Luke corrected.

“Ok, you’ve been dating for seven-and-a-half-to-be-exact months and the three of us have hung out like three times only. How lame is that? I mean, I’m your best friend. I would be nice if we hang out; you, me, her and her friends.”

“If you’re nice, we’ll work on that. I’ll ask her if she wanna.”

“If I’m nice?” Ashton scoffed. “I’m always nice.”

“Not when it concerns Bella.”

“What can I do? That girl is so stiff…”

“Ashton,” Luke warned.

“Fine, fine, I’m not saying anything else. What about her sister? Is she as ssssstttttiiii… bbbboooorrrr… as Bella?”

“Nope… she seems different. You might actually like her.”

“Why don’t you date her instead then?” Ashton laughed.

“Fuck you!!!” Luke called and he was about to hit Ashton but the older boy quickly moved away, causing Luke to chase after him in the living room.

**Later that day…**

The day was passing at a relatively slow rate and no matter what Michaela did, she ended up getting bored soon after. Every now and then, her mind would drift to Luke, his lips and the way he had kissed her and Michaela would lose interest in whatever she was doing and focus on Luke instead. She always told everybody that she was into girls but after kissing Luke, she was not so sure about that statement anymore. There she was, having doubts about her sexuality when she should be having fun and enjoying herself. The more she thought about Luke, the more she wanted of what was forbidden and the only way she could get it, was to pretend to be Bella one more time, just one time. To do that, she would either have to wait for Luke to call or to show up again but impatience was killing her. Deciding that she should probably take her mind off Luke, she took her laptop and logged in to her Facebook account, smiling when she saw that Calum was online.

Without wasting time, she started a video call and tapped her fingers against the keyboard impatiently as she waited for the brunette to answer. “Hey buddy!!!”

“Yo! I was going to ask you how you’re doing but you look great to me,” Calum smiled.

“You don’t look so bad yourself.”

“What’s up?”

“I’m bored to death. I’m running out of things to do.”

“And I’m your last resort to get you out of boredom?”

“Yes, entertain me Calum. No, I’m just kidding. I didn’t even know you were online. Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

“I am… I’m talking to you in the toilets,” Calum turned the phone around to let Michaela have a look.

“That’s why it looks so white and clean everywhere. Are we having dinner tonight as well?”

“I can’t. I’m meeting Mali tonight, I promised her already. Sorry mate.”

“Fuck! I hate eating alone.”

“Maybe tomorrow but I don’t promise. Did Luke come back again yesterday?”

“Yeah, he did. I don’t even know why. I thought you said you’d take care of it.”

“I might have told him that Bella was still at work and she would be back later.”

“You’re just a jerk.”

“What? I didn’t know what to tell him and it was the only thing that came to my mind. So what happened?”

“Nothing… we had a little chat and then I went to bed. That’s all.”

“Did he stay?”

“I just went to bed but I guess he stayed because he was still here this morning. Talking about Luke… you don’t happen to know where he lives, do you?”

“Why?”

“Nothing… just out of curiosity,” Michaela grinned.

“Michie, I know you better than that. What are you thinking?”

“Seriously, nothing. I was just wondering… whatever. So do you know where his apartment is or not?”

“OMG!!!” Calum stared at her.

“What?”

“You’re doing it. You’re fucking doing. You’re going to pretend to Bella.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“He doesn’t live in an apartment. I think he shares a house with his best friend. If I remember correctly, that’s what Bella said. You’re so wicked.”

“It’s not what you’re thinking. I’m just gonna do what Bella has asked me to do.”

“And you have to go to his house for that?”

“Yeah, didn’t you read the note? She said to go easy on him.”

“I’ve to get back to work. Catch up with you later.”

“Ok, just text it to me. Bye bye.”

 


	4. Let's Play Pretend

Michaela brushed her damp hair as she stared at herself in the mirror. Two days had passed since Luke had come over and she still could not get him out of her head. She could still remember how his lips had felt against hers. She did not know if she was obsessing over Luke but she needed to see him again. The only problem was: why would Luke want to see her? The only person he would want to see was Bella, whom she was not. Hence, she had made up her mind to pretend and be Bella only once more, just that one time. Walking to Bella’s room, Michaela opened the drawer and looked at the bunch of underwear displayed in front of her. She scrunched her nose at the sight. Cotton panties, plain bras, white, beige, nude, grey, all kind of dull colours, where were the other colours and the lace and the thongs? Did Bella not have any sense of fashion? Or good taste? Well, she did have good taste because she was dating Luke.

Deciding to wear something of her own, Michaela made her way back to her room; it was not like Luke would peep inside her clothes to see that she was wearing a different kind of lingerie. She quickly wore some pink lace bra with matching thongs before going back to Bella’s room. She scrubbed the electric blue nail polish and replaced it with a nude one, since nude and baby pink were the only two pots she had found. Next, she went to the closet. As expected, nothing sexy; blouses, few plain tees, sweaters, skirts, dressed pants, basically nothing Michaela would wear. Then she spotted a pair of blue jeans at the back and immediately pulled it out. After pulling on the jeans, she got a blue button down shirt which she wore, leaving the first two buttons open and did a knot at the bottom. Michaela shook her head as she looked at herself in the mirror; that was not what Bella would have done. She straightened it but the front was creased from the knot and she tossed it on the bed before going for a khaki one instead.

She tied her hair in a low pony tail, like Bella liked to but made a face. That hairstyle was not suiting her face. Instead, she loosened the elastic and pulled out a few strand of hair to frame her face. Trying to look like Bella was harder than she had thought and it took her almost two hours to get everything right and she still did not look like the exact copy of Bella. To finish it all, she opted for a pair of wedge, if she was correct, that was what they were called. Michaela looked at herself in the mirror and took a deep breath; she was ready for Luke.

**Meanwhile…**

Luke ran his fingers through his hair and sighed as he thought about two nights ago when he had gone to meet Bella; the girl had acted weird, almost like she did not want Luke to be there. Although, he knew he was probably wrong about the whole thing, considering how much of her time Bella liked to dedicate to her work, but he could not help that feeling growing in him. What if Ashton was right? What if Bella really was bored with him and wanted to distance herself? No, that could not be; other than Ashton, he was the most fun-loving person he knew, so the chances of Bella being bored with him did not even arise. Luke pushed those thoughts aside; Ashton was definitely wrong. With that in mind, he did not want to ponder about that night because all there was to it was that Bella was tired from work and nothing else.

He took a spoonful of his Coco Pops and shoved it into his mouth while keeping his eyes glued to the TV. He was watching SpongeBob Squarepants but his mind was elsewhere; he was waiting for a call or even a text from Bella but he did not get any. Since he had taken Ashton’s suggestion into consideration, he had decided to give Bella some space. He did not call or text her since he left her house the other day and neither had she contacted him. Luke was certain if he kept going like that, he was going to go crazy because he was the clingy kind of boyfriend and he was missing the closeness. He missed cuddling with Bella, he missed kissing her and he missed all the other little things they did together. Luke groaned when the doorbell rang and decided to ignore it because it was probably Ashton, who always felt too lazy to find his own keys when he knew Luke was home, but it rang again.

“Seriously Ashton, you have to stop… Bella?” Luke said when he saw his girlfriend standing there, instead of Ashton, like he had thought.

“Hey, did I disturb you?”

“Of course not.”

“Why do I feel like you weren’t expecting me to be here?”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because you didn’t hug or kiss me?” Michaela laughed.

Smiling, Luke wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a tight hug before turning to the side and placing a kiss to her temple. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you.”

“That’s funny. You make it sounds like I’ve been gone for ever,” Michaela mumbled and nuzzled into Luke’s neck. “Can I come in?”

“You don’t to ask. And you have a key,” Luke shook his head.

“Right I do but… I forgot it at home,” she simply said as she walked inside. “You’re having Coco Pops. I haven’t had those in ages.”

Luke almost raised an eyebrow at that; Bella was always like the toast and coffee kind of girl and he did not know she liked cereal. “I didn’t know you like this.”

“I actually love it,” Michaela said and put a spoonful in her mouth. “Luke?”

“Hmm…”

“I’m really sorry about the other night. I was worn out from work…”

“I know and you don’t have to apologise. It’s already forgotten.”

“I still want to make it up to you. I got you something.” Michaela pulled something out of the fancy little bag that she had brought along and grinned as she handed it to Luke.

“A cactus?”

“Yeah, I first thought of getting you flowers but then I realised they were gonna wilt within a few days. But a cactus, it’s always gonna be there.”

The moment Michaela said the last part, Luke had that silly grin on his face and, placing the cactus on the table, he pulled her into a hug. “That’s sweet. I love it.”

Michaela wrapped her arms around Luke’s waist, just as the boy was pulling away, and held him close before placing her head on Luke’s shoulder and letting her eyes dart to the TV that was playing the end credit of SpongeBob. “What were you doing before I came?”

“Just watching TV, eating Coco Pops and thinking about you, mostly thinking about you,” Luke mumbled against Michaela’s hair while inhaling her shampoo.

“You sound like those cheesy boyfriends,” she laughed and tickled Luke’s ribs.

Luke raised an eyebrow at what had just happened; it was weird because Bella would never say such a thing to him but he decided to brush it off. If Bella wanted to be extra affectionate with him, Luke had no problem with that, in fact, he was loving it. With a smile, he tilted his head and pressed a kiss to her neck. At that action, Michaela hummed and nuzzled closer; Luke thought he was Bella, meaning her efforts were paying off. He tickled her with the tip of his tongue and she giggled against him but she did not pull away because Luke’s embrace was warm and cosy and she had not had anyone that close for quite some time and she missed it. Michaela sighed against Luke and closed her eyes; apart from hugs and occasional cuddles from Calum or Bella, she had never been in such a long embrace by someone as broad and big as Luke and she had to admit it felt nice.

She was so lost in the warmth that she had not realised when Luke’s kisses had moved from her neck to her jaw. Those kisses trailed to her chin and then to her lips to finally make Michaela come out of that daze she was in. Luke was kissing her, Michaela sighed at the thought. Luke’s lips felt as good as the other night and as delicious as she remembered. She never thought she would have ever said that but kissing a guy felt exciting and the more she kept kissing Luke, the more she wanted. Luke was the first guy she had ever kissed and the way her body was reacting, she knew she wanted him to be many more of her firsts, if only that was possible. When they pulled away, Michaela looked into Luke’s eyes and she swore she could get drown in them. Looking at Luke’s face that close, she could not help but notice that Luke was a handsome lad, no wonder Bella fell for him; he looked perfect. For the first time she was really looking at him and taking in his features: Luke’s jawline, his cute little nose, his cheekbones, his rosy lips.

She let her eyes trail lower to his neck, then to the little blonde hair on his chest and lower to his nipple that was showing since his extra-large tank top was hanging off one shoulder. Luke placed two fingers under her chin and made her look at him again. He pressed a quick kiss to Michie’s lips before looking into her eyes again.

“What are you looking at?” he asked with a smile as he straightened his clothes.

Michaela cleared her throat. “You,” she mumbled. “You’re so pretty.”

Luke laughed; it almost sounded like it was the first time his girlfriend was looking at him. “You’re pretty too. Have I ever told you how much I love your eyes?”

“And I love your lips.”

Luke was about to reply to that but Michaela had her lips against his again and he only kissed her back. Their lips moved impatiently against one another and Luke enclosed his arms around her neck while Michaela tightened her grip around his waist. He slid his hands along the collar of Michie’s khaki shirt, popped open the little buttons, from the top to the bottom, and pushed it off her shoulders. Michaela hummed appreciatively into the kiss when Luke’s hands made contact with her skin. Luke’s hand moved to gently cup her breast and Michaela felt the need to do the same; she wanted to put her hands on him, she wanted to feel his skin and she wanted to press their bare chests together. Trailing her hand higher, she grabbed the straps of Luke’s top and, pushing them off his shoulders, she let them hang around his waist. Next, she reached out to Luke’s nipple, the same one that she was looking at before Luke had straightened his clothes.

Luke gasped when Michaela rolled her index over the bud and grazed his chest with her nails. For a moment, Luke had that doubt; was that really Bella with him or was it Michaela? Because for Bella, sex was something that should only be done in the bedroom and they were both shirtless at that instance. However, he mentally laughed at himself; why would that be Michaela? She was not into men. Pushing that thought away, he returned his attention to the girl in front of him. He pressed his hand flat against her shoulders and pushed her backward until she was lying down. Once she had adjusted to the new position, Luke settled between her legs and placed his hands on her hips while he looked at her. Michie cursed inwardly; looking at Luke from that angle was just… Damn! And as Luke leant forward to connect their lips, she placed her hand on the other boy’s waist and wrapped her legs around his hips. That was when she realised Luke was only in his boxers.

“Whoa! Keep the sex to the bedroom,” Ashton exclaimed as he walked in and placed his hands on his hips to look at them.

At the sound of someone else’s voice, they pulled away and turned their head to look at the intruder. “Ashton…” Luke muttered and quickly pulled his top back up and Michaela covered herself with her discarded shirt.

“What the hell?”

“I didn’t think you’d be back soon…”

“And you took the liberty to get naked on our couch?”

When Luke stayed quiet, Michaela waved at Ashton with a huge smile. “Hi.”

Ashton only glared at her. “This is not fucking done because when I bring my men over, we always do our shits in my room. This is not fair. And you’re the one who made that rule where we can’t have sex anywhere in the house, except for the bedroom.”

“Oh come on Ashton. We were not having sex. We were just kissing…”

“And luckily I walked in before things got out of hands.”

“Drama queen,” Luke mumbled.

“What? What was that?”

“Nothing…”

“Oh, what a lovely cactus. I love cacti,” Ashton ignored Luke and reached for it.

Luke slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch, it’s mine.” Taking the little pot, Luke got up and walked to his room.

“Cacti?” Michaela raised an eyebrow.

“Plural of cactus?”

“Isn’t that cactuses?”

“Whatever…” Ashton rolled his eyes at her and walked to the kitchen.

Looking around the empty room, Michaela pulled her shirt on and followed Ashton. “What are you doing?”

“Making coffee.”

“I’ll have some,” she leant against the counter as she watched the other boy. “Are you having dinner with us?”

Ashton lifted his head and stared at her; what was the purpose of that question? Did Luke talk to Bella already? Or was it an ‘are you having dinner with us because I totally don’t want you to’? He did not like Bella and he knew the feeling was reciprocated. “Are you asking if I want to have dinner with you or are you meaning that I should leave you two alone?”

“Why will I mean that? Of course I’m asking you to have dinner with us,” Michaela smiled as Ashton only looked at her.

Luke walked into the kitchen and looked at the situation; Michie only had two middle buttons of the shirt tied and her pink bra was showing through the opening. Despite not being into girls, Ashton had his eyes there and Luke could not help but feel protective. He walked closer to her, buttoned her shirt properly and wrapped his arm around her. Since he did not know what they were talking about, he only stayed quiet.

“Depends on what you guys are ordering,” Ashton shrugged.

“Ordering? No, I’ll make dinner.”

“You’ll make dinner?” Ashton laughed.

“What’s so funny? I’m an excellent cook.”

“Really? The two times that we have actually met, once you’ve order dinner and the other we ate outside. And whenever Luke tell me about his dates with you, you guys are always ordering food.”

Michie hummed. “Well, I can be an excellent cook, when I want to.” One thing was sure, he knew he was going to like Ashton and they were going to get along well because Ashton was just like her. She shook her head. Get along well? Why did she even think about that? It was not like she was going to meet Ashton again or Luke. “I like that you’re straight-forward. Stay for dinner, you won’t regret it.”

“Ok, we’ll see. You better get started because I have a date later tonight.”

Luke looked at Ashton and then at Michaela. What was going on? Why did Bella ask Ashton to stay for dinner? Usually, Bella would avoid occasions where Ashton would be present because she thought Ashton was too insolent. There was something odd: Bella asking Ashton to join them, Bella wearing lace, Bella with her shirt almost opened in the kitchen, something which she would never do, Bella undressing him in the living room. What were all those? When Ashton pulled Luke out of the kitchen, he pushed those thoughts out of his head; he would think about them later.

**Later that night…**

Ashton ran his finger through his hair and walked to the bar. “Hey, can I sit here?” he asked the brunette, who was already sitting there and sipping on a beer.

“Of course it’s free and you can sit here. My best friend, who is supposed to be here with me, is too busy trying to get into the pants of someone she can’t have. So, obviously I’m here by myself.”

“Tragic,” Ashton nodded as he also ordered himself a beer. “My date ditched me. I’m Ashton.”

“Calum,” he nodded. “Actually, my best friend is not really trying to fuck anyone. I said that because I’m mad at her for not being here. She’s just busy trying not to be her twin.”

“Even more tragic,” Ashton laughed. “So, you have eyes for anyone in here?”

Calum ran the brim of the glass against his lips and looked at Ashton. “No, do you?”

“Not really…”

Twenty-five minutes and a few more beers later, Ashton pressed Calum against the wall and kissed his neck. Calum gasped and tilted his head backward as he buried his fingers into Ashton’s hair. He lifted a leg up and, wrapping it around the older boy’s hips, he thrust against him.

“My house,” he panted.

“My car is outside,” Ashton breathed out heavily as he cupped Calum’s ass. “I need to fuck you…”

 


	5. Too Much Is Never Enough

Ashton moaned and his eyes fluttered open when he rolled on his other side and his penis touched something warm. He placed his palm on his face to block the bright light that was disturbing his eyes as he took in his surrounding; the unfamiliar room and the unfamiliar person lying next to him. He could not see his face since the boy had his back turned to him but the tousled dark hair and toned back brought back the memories of the previous night. Ashton knew he had to get up already because the whole ‘waking up together’ thing was not his thing but all he really wanted to do was close his eyes again. Listening to the little voice in his head, he pulled the blanket higher up on his chest and closed his eyes. However, he opened them again when the mattress shifted beside him and the brunette hugged him in his sleep. As carefully as he could, Ashton took the hand by the wrist, in an attempt to put it away, but ended up waking the other boy up.

“Hi…” the boy said in a croaky voice and with a tiny smile at the corner of his mouth.

That smile, Ashton could remember that it was that same smile that had gotten him the night before. “’Morning. Sorry. Did I wake you up?”

Calum hummed at the back of his throat and wrapped his arm proper around the older boy’s waist. “No. Why? Were you trying to sneak out on me?”

“No,” Ashton chuckled lightly; although that was exactly what he had intended to do. “Why would you say that?”

“Because that’s what most guys do.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate,” the older boy smiled and decided to go with the flow. Besides, the other boy was cute; the way his eyes could barely stay open, the way his hair was all messed up, the way his voice would croak every time he would speak and then there was that smile. The only problem was that he could not remember the name to that pretty face, which was a shame in his eyes. “What was your name again?”

It was the younger boy’s turn to chuckle. “It’s Calum.”

“And I’m…”

“Ashton. Yeah, I remember.”

“It was really fun yesterday. I had a great time. We should… could probably do that again, someday. If you want to of course.”

“Yeah, I’d love to.” Calum pushed the blanket off him, got off the bed and pulled on his boxers. “Thought you’d never ask.”

“Maybe you could give me your number.”

“Sure.”

“Where are you going?” Ashton propped himself on his elbow and asked when Calum made his way to the door.

Turning around, the brunette walked back to the bed. “To make you breakfast.”

“What about your number?”

“I’ll give it to you after breakfast… maybe.”

“Maybe? Why? Do you have a boyfriend or something?”

“A boyfriend?” Kneeling on the edge of the mattress, he pressed a kiss to Ashton’s cheek and laughed. “Maybe I do… maybe I don’t. Get dress and come.”

Ashton looked at the open door and the clothes that were scattered on the floor. He bit his lip and glanced at the door again, for any sign of Calum; he could see all of his clothes, except for his underwear. The only explanation he could find was that Calum had worn them because there was another pair of undies on the floor, by his clothes but they were definitely not his. What should he do? Should he wear Calum’s boxers? Ashton shook his head at that thought; he was not going to wear someone else’s dirty boxers. Eventually, he did what he thought was right and opted to just wear his clothes, without boxers; besides, it was not like anyone was going to know he was not wearing any. Taking a look at himself in the mirror, he walked out of the room, went into what he thought was the bathroom to rinse his face and followed the smell of coffee to the kitchen. He leant against the doorway and watched the younger boy actively working at the stove.

And he was right, it was indeed his boxers on Calum, who was so engrossed in what he was doing that he did not notice Ashton standing there and Ashton only smiled at the scene as he shoved his hands in his pocket but he instantly regretted doing so when the harsh material of his jeans rubbed against his penis and he made a face before pulling his hands out while his eyes never left the other boy. However, he walked further into the kitchen after a few more seconds because he did not want Calum to think he was ogling, even though that was what he was doing.

“Smells nice in here,” he smiled as he leant against the back of a chair.

“Hey,” Calum turned around and smiled. “What took you so long? I thought you snuck out for real this time.”

“I was in the bathroom. So, you didn’t really answer my question earlier.”

“Which one?” Calum turned around and wiped his hands in a napkin.

“Do you… have a boyfriend?”

The brunette laughed before making his way to Ashton. “I believed I already gave you an answer,” he whispered in his ear before pressing a brief kiss to his lips and again moving to the stove.

Did he really take that long? Because he could get the fresh smell of toothpaste when Calum had kissed him, which could only mean Calum had brushed his teeth before going to the kitchen, and he was currently setting scrambled eggs on the two plates that were on the table. Clearing his throat, he pulled a chair and took a seat.

Calum poured two cups of coffee and walked to the table before taking a seat opposite of Ashton. He eyed the other boy, who had his eyes set on his plate and smiled; as bad as it sounded, he was glad that Michaela did not go to the club with him the previous night because then, he probably would not have met Ashton. “So, you did not tell me about that boyfriend of yours.”

“Boyfriend?” Ashton looked up from his plate and raised an eyebrow. “This is delicious.”

“Thanks,” Calum laughed. “Yeah, the one that you had a date with last night?”

“Oh… he’s not my boyfriend. We met a few times but trust me, after he ditched me last night, I don’t want to see him again,” Ashton stated and as if on cue, his phone buzzed on the table and he rejected the call when he realised who was calling him. “Or answer his call.”

“That was him calling?”

“Yeah but whatever. Are you going to give me your number?”

“Mmm… like I said, maybe…” Calum smirked as he put some eggs in his mouth.

“Should I take this as a yes?”

“I don’t know,” Calum mouthed and could not help but again smile when the other boy groaned. “Should I?”

“Yes, unless of course, you don’t want to hang out again.” Ashton checked the time on his phone and wished it was not so late. “I should go.”

“Already?”

“Yeah, my best friend is waiting for me, we’re supposed to go out today. He wants to propose to his girlfriend and he wants me to go with him to get some stuffs, you know, to make it all special and whatever…”

“I think it’s cute,” Calum smiled.

“It is but they’re just so wrong for one another that it ruins all the cuteness.”

The younger boy hummed. “Isn’t it still early to go shopping?”

“Yeah but you don’t know my friend. He’ll start throwing a fit even if I’m late by five minutes. He can be annoying sometimes. So, I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah,” Calum nodded as he walked Ashton to the door. “Hey, don’t you want your jacket back?”

“Thanks…”

**Twenty-eight minutes later…**

“Shit!” Luke cursed as he tried to flip the pancake in the pan, only to fail miserably as he realised that it was stuck to the pan. Then, he tried to push the spatula under it to get it out but ended up breaking it. He was sure he followed every step of the recipe that he had found online and he still could not grasp what it was that he did wrong.

Ashton scrunched his nose as he walked into the kitchen. “What’s that horrid smell?”

“Pancakes?”

“I can guarantee you that pancakes do not smell like this,” Ashton looked at the plate that was on the counter and shook his head. “And they definitely are not supposed to be black.”

“At least I’m trying,” Luke sighed as he turned off the gas.

“Why are you even making those?”

“I wanted to make you breakfast. Where were you all night?”

“You sound just like my mom. Anyways, I was with that guy last night and yeah, I was with him.”

“The one you’ve been seeing for the past few weeks?”

“No, he never showed up… but I was with that other guy…”

Luke rolled his eyes at him. “You’re impossible.”

“What? He was nice. He even made me breakfast this morning.”

“Breakfast? You’ve already had breakfast and like an idiot, I’m working my ass to please you. That’s fucking lame. You could at least have told me not to wait for you to eat.”

“You don’t have to please me. You can do those for your girlfriend. Actually, I’m sure Miss Perfect would run away after this,” he pointed to the burnt pancakes.

“Fuck you. How could you even have breakfast? You didn’t even brush your teeth. That’s so gross.”

“I did.”

“I didn’t know you carry your tooth brush around when you go out at night.”

“I used my fingers, duh. Right now, my mouth smells nicer than those things,” he again pointed to the pancakes.

“You’re my best friend and I wanted to do something nice for you. You could at least thank me for my effort instead of being a jerk.”

“Sorry, I couldn’t really refuse him.”

“Really? Since when do you stay over and have breakfast with a guy that you fucked the night before? Should I be worried?”

“Like I said, he’s nice.”

“Who is he, the one who’s gotten you all smitten?” Luke smirked.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s not like I’m going to see him again. I don’t even have his number.”

“Aw, poor baby. That’s the thing about one-night stand, it’s just one night.”

“One night and I can already tell you that he’s nicer and much more fun than your boring woman.”

“Not again…”

“Besides, what are you complaining about? You also got plenty of sex last night. You must have been turned on since you were making out on the couch, seeing her in those sexy laced bra.”

Luke rolled his eyes at him. “Why were you even looking at her bra?”

“Ha, I wasn’t, they were exposed for the world to see. I didn’t know that she was boring on the outside and foxy on the inside.”

“No, that’s probably Michaela’s doings.”

“Or it was Michaela herself.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Ashton. Are you trying to say I don’t know my girlfriend?”

“I don’t know, ask yourself the question.”

“Stop being a giant dick.”

“You had fun peeling those lingerie off her and then put your penis deep in her?”

“Damn you, Ashton. No, we didn’t really have sex. Bella only gave me a blowjob, which was kinda… okayish.”

“What do you mean ‘okayish’?”

“It was… sloppy.”

“Huh… Miss boring is boring in bed? I’m not surprised.”

“She’s not. She’s usually good. Maybe she was just tired.”

“Tired?” Ashton raised an eyebrow. “She looked far from being tired when I saw her or when she made dinner, which was totally weird but I’m not going to complain, dinner was good. I wonder why you guys always order food when she can cook.”

“I didn’t know she could cook that well.”

The older boy nodded. “I see… that’s why you were trying to make breakfast, to impress her.”

“You know what? Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you…”

“Oh, gosh. Now it all makes sense. Mister Luke is horny, that’s why he’s being grumpy.”

“Ashton, get out of the kitchen, right now.”

“Why? Are you going to face-pan me?” he asked when he noticed the pan in Luke’s hand.

“No, I’m just putting it in the sink. But get out.”

“I’m going to take a shower,” Ashton shrugged and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket as he walked to his bedroom. “What’s that?” he stopped for a moment and pulled out a nicely folded piece of paper from one of the pockets. He smiled when he realised Calum had written his number on there and, grinning even wider, he walked to his room.

**Around lunchtime…**

Michaela mumbled some incoherent things to herself as she got out of her car and walked to the elevator. She did not know how she was feeling at the moment and she needed somebody to talk to; she was torn between something that she wanted and what was right. After leaving Luke’s house earlier that morning, she had made her way to the park, sat there on a bench for nearly two hours, going over the same thing over and over in her head before deciding to go and meet Calum. Once she was in front of Calum’s door, she quickly looked for the key that the brunette had given her before letting herself inside.

“Calum?” she walked to the bedroom, assuming Calum was still sleeping since everywhere else was too quiet; considering Calum was never the quiet kind of person. “Calum?”

“Don’t come in. I’m naked in bed with a guy.”

Rolling her eyes, Michaela pushed the door open. “What are you doing?”

“Texting?”

Michaela dropped herself on the bed beside the boy and groaned. “Who?”

“That guy…”

“Let me guess. You met him last night and according to you, he’s super cute, and you want to sleep with him again and you’re gonna text him for a few days, maybe two or three weeks, and then you’ll get bored and move on. How many times have you done that already?”

“Since I got dumped, every time. I mean, I never happen to meet anyone nice, so, you can’t really blame me. But the guy from last night, he’s something else. I think I might have a chance here.”

“I hope it’ll last for you this time.”

“Fingers crossed,” the boy smiled and frowned at her. “What are you wearing?”

Michaela looked down at herself and realised she was still in Bella’s clothes. “Bella’s clothes. I wanted Luke to think that I really am her. Yeah, that’s why I’m here. There’s something I have to tell you.”

“Hmm?”

“I think I messed things up, like really screwed the shit out of everything,” she said as she took a deep breath.

“What’d you do?” Calum mumbled without really paying attention as he sent another text.

“Quit it. It’s important, more important than a guy you met last night.” She grabbed the phone from Calum and set it on the bedside table. “You remember the other day I asked you for Luke’s address?”

“Yeah, you said you wanted to tell him everything.”

“Yeah, that’s what I told you. Something else happened that I didn’t tell you about. Last time Luke came home, he thought I was Bella and he kissed me. I have to admit I liked it. I wanted to kiss him one more time, just one time before telling him the truth but things didn’t really happen the way I planned,” she bit the side of her lower lip and glanced at Calum. “I did things that I never thought I’d do ever, like ever, ever, ever, a million times ever.”

Calum groaned and moved to a sitting position. “Holy mother of potatoes, tell me already. What did you do?”

“So, I went to Luke’s house to hang out with him one more time and then next time, I’d have told him that I’m Michaela and that Bella is away and that our phones got exchanged and stuffs.”

“Yeah, I know that already. Fast forward to something I don’t know.”

“I wanted to give him a little something, to be nice, and I got him like that little cactus thing…”

“Wait, wait wait…” Calum placed a hand on her knee and halted her. “A cactus? What for?”

“I wanted to do something nice. Aren’t you listening?”

“Yeah, but a cactus… that’s odd and I don’t know, maybe romantic.”

“That’s not what I had in mind. Stop interrupting me now. Yeah, like I was saying, he loved the cactus… and then we kissed.”

Calum stared at Michaela; did he hear right? “Again? Was it good?”

“Yeah, it was good, different but good, a little too good for my liking. Then, instead of ending things there, I kept playing along. We kept kissing on the couch, kinda undressed… I made dinner and…”

“And what? You had sex with Luke? Oh my god, you had sex with Luke,” Calum stated on an excited tone. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Fuck off. He’s my sister’s boyfriend.”

“So what? What your sister doesn’t know won’t hurt her. And that’s what makes it even more exciting.”

“Fuck no, it’s wrong.”

“But you want to keep pretending you’re Bella because you want Luke. You like Luke now, am I right?”

“What?” Michaela scoffed. “That’s ridiculous. I don’t like Luke and I don’t want to do anything you think I want to do,” she mumbled, even though deep down, that was what she wanted to do.

Calum rubbed his forehead frantically.

“What are you doing? Why are you rubbing your forehead like an idiot?”

“I thought it was written fool on there. I’m trying to wipe it. If you want to do it, you should do it. Like you said, Bella won’t be back for a few months. Luke’s yours in the meantime,” Calum wriggled his eyebrows.

“Ugh… I don’t know Calum. I’m not into guys.”

“You can’t say that anymore, not after you had sex with one.”

“I didn’t have sex with Luke. Stop saying that.”

“If you guys could kiss and undress in the living room, I’m sure more things must have happened in the bedroom.”

“I gave him a blowjob and I hate myself for it. I sucked at it.”

“That’s kinda the point, sucking…”

“Can we forget about Luke and go out? I need to clear my head. I need him out of my head.”

“Anything for you my love. Can you give me a few minutes to get ready?” Calum asked as he got up and walked to his closet. “When are you gonna see Luke again?”

“Argh…” Michaela shook his head and walked away. She dropped on the couch in the living room and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. She could not stop thinking about Luke; how it had felt to kiss him, how Luke’s hand had felt on her body, how his penis had felt in her mouth. She again opened them when she received a text from Luke then another one and another one.

“What are you smiling at?” Calum grabbed the phone and read the texts out loud. “I miss your lips on mine already.”

“Give it back,” Michaela said as she tried to take the phone from Calum, who moved away.

“I want to rip your clothes off and put my hands on your body.”

“Calum, stop it.”

“I want you to touch my dick and suck me like you did last night,” Calum laughed. “Ooh la la.”

“Seriously Calum, give it back. They’re private.”

“Private? To Bella, who’s not here. Wait, there is more. I want to fuck you real good tonight.” Calum looked at Michaela and smirked. “What are you gonna tell him?”

“Nothing, I’m just gonna ignore those.”

“How about?” he said to Michaela and turned his eyes to the phone again. “I’d love to, my house tonight. I’ll be waiting for you naked and sprawled on my bed,” he spelled as he typed the text.

“Don’t you dare send that.”

“Oops.”

 


	6. Mind Games

Luke closed his eyes and pulled a pillow into his lap as he thought about everything that was happening. He could not help but think that Bella had been acting weird and not herself for the past days. The thing that confirmed it was their anniversary. Yes, it was their eight-month anniversary that day and usually on that day, Bella would send him a sweet text in the morning, telling him how lucky she was to have met Luke. However, despite having been there that same morning, Bella had not mentioned anything and had just left saying she had some important work to do. That was really odd because it was not like Bella to forget important dates. Then Luke remembered what Ashton had said; there was something weird about Bella and more and more, Luke could see that too. It was then that his brain started working. Bella never liked Ashton, he knew that but never told Ashton because Ashton was his best friend and he knew that would hurt him. That was why she never liked to hang out with the other boy.

Still, the previous night, she had insisted Ashton should join them for dinner and she had even made dinner, which was weirder because as far as he knew, Bella was as much of a good cook as he was, which meant she was terrible. Yet, dinner was amazing. If he rewound to even before dinner, something even more bizarre had happened. Bella came and offered him a cactus; a cactus? Although he loved it, he could still not understand why a cactus because Bella never brought him any gift since Luke always told her she was the best gift. So, after the cactus episode, they started kissing on the couch, in the living room and things even reached undressing matters, something Bella never did. Bella was more like a reserved person and such things always happened in the bedroom. Plus, when Ashton walked in on them, Bella did not look one bit embarrassed, which should have happened. That was not all because she was talking and laughing with Ashton like good old friends, not to forget that the shirt that she was wearing was only partly buttoned.

That was point number two. Then there was that day when he had gone to Bella’s house, it looked like Bella almost did not want him there. They had shared an awkward kiss in her room but Luke had brushed it off, thinking Bella was tired but now he could see it was something else. The funny thing about the situation was that when Bella was there, Michaela was not and when Michaela was there, Bella was not. Was he being fooled again? He pulled the pillow to his chest to hug it as the wheels in his head kept turning. Was Michaela pretending to be Bella again? No, that was impossible; Michaela would not have gone to such an extent as to give him a blowjob. But then again, he remembered how sloppy it was and he knew Bella was not sloppy. Luke took a deep breath; he was probably overthinking things. As much as he knew Michaela, he knew the girl was a bit mischievous but would Michaela go to that extent to play a prank on him? He had to find out, only then would his mind be at peace and to do that, he would have to pretend nothing was wrong.

“Hey Luke? Here you are, been looking for you everywhere. Your phone was charging in the kitchen and I got it for you.”

“Thanks,” Luke sighed.

“Oh before I forget, you got a text from Bella. She was telling you to drop by later and I told her yeah.”

“You read and answered my text?”

“Not a text,” Ashton laughed. “She called and I picked up since you were nowhere there. I’m guessing you won’t be here tonight, again.”

“I don’t know… maybe…”

“Well, in any case, don’t wait for me. I’m going out tonight,” the older boy moved his hips from side to side as he dance to a non-existent music.

“You’re fucking that guy again, aren’t you?”

“Who? Me? Maybe…” he again laughed as he kept dancing.

“Stop it. You’re acting weird,” Luke laughed and threw the pillow at him.

“What? I’m just in a good mood.”

“Yeah, that’s because you’re getting plenty of sex, more than you need.”

“And you aren’t getting enough. Go out, have fun, live a little…”

“I will. I’m going to meet Bella.”

“Ugh… You exasperate me. I’m going for a jog. And don’t forget to check your text.”

Luke frowned at Ashton’s retreating figure; text? Was it a text or a call? Knowing Ashton, he knew he was up to something and he could not even lie straight to cover it up. He checked his call history and his last call was to his mom, so instead, he opened his messages. He had a text from Bella and before that he had sent three other ones. Ashton, he shook his head.

I’d love to, my house tonight. I’ll be waiting for you naked and sprawled on my bed.

Luke kept reading that over and over again. Why would Bella send him something like that? Because it was not like her. Was it Michaela? No, it could not as that was Bella’s number and Luke knew that by heart. Getting to his feet, he quickly fixed his hair and grabbed his jacket from the desk before rushing out the door. He had thought he would go to meet Bella later that evening but seeing that text, it started bugging him and he had to know already.

**About an hour later…**

Michaela pulled a towel from the rack and patted her wet hair as she stepped in front of the mirror. She wrapped her hair in the towel, grabbed another one to dry herself before tossing the damp towel to the floor. She was in the middle of wearing her robe when she noticed a faint bruise on her neck and she instantly brought her finger to trace it; it had been left there by Luke, who had been sucking on her skin the previous night. The previous night, she sighed as the memory filled her mind. She could still remember how Luke’s penis had felt in her mouth. Since it was her first time, she knew she sucked at it but if she was given the chance, she would do it again and maybe let things go further than they had. Yes, she wanted to have sex with Luke and she was not going to deny it; she wanted to spread her legs and let him get between them. She was fucked up, she knew it and thus, needed to get her mind off Luke. Then she remembered how messy her room was and, pulling the robe on, she walked back to her bedroom.

She messily folded another tee and placed it on top of the stack of shirts that were already in her closet. Finally, after so many days of being back, she got the time to unpack the suitcase that had been lying open in a corner of her room. She grabbed some panties, bundled them in a ball and shoved them in the drawer, next to the bras that she had kept there earlier. When her phone vibrated under some clothes, she took a seat and sighed because she was finally resting after long minutes of unpacking. It was a text from Calum and only contained a dozens of cacti emoji and nothing else. Michaela rolled her eyes before tossing the phone behind her. She knew Calum intentionally sent her that because he just wanted to make fun of her for giving Luke a cactus. What was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to give him? Normally, she would buy gifts for her dad or Calum but she knew what they liked but Luke? She still knew so little about him. Quickly she pushed that away since she did not want to think about Luke as it was a never-ending subject.

However, she could not stop her mind from going to that territory. She may have been telling herself that he had no interest, whatsoever, in Luke but she also knew that something was different in her life since that very first time Luke had mistaken her for Bella and had kissed her. Talking to the boy the next morning and getting to know him had made her like Luke a little bit more, even though she knew Luke was out of her league. Then there was that time where she had gone to Luke’s house; she knew the only reason she went there was because she wanted to kiss Luke again. She smiled as she thought about Luke’s face, he was so handsome. His lips, Michaela could still remember how they had felt against hers. His eyes, they were so captivating and they would light up whenever Luke would smile. His dimples, she did not know what it was about them but they were the most beautiful things Michaela had set eyes on. Then there were his hands, Michaela had liked how they had felt on her skin and she wanted to feel more of them.

With a sigh, she looked at the rest of her clothes that were on her bed and, grabbing them all, she tossed them in the closet and closed the door. There, her room looked much neater. Patting her stomach that let out a loud grumble, Michaela walked to the fridge and pulled out the large container of yoghurt before walking to the balcony. She took a seat on one of the big armchairs that Bella had put there and set the yoghurt on the table. Then she lit a cigarette, took a long drag and put a spoonful of the desert into her mouth, after exhaling the smoke. She was enjoying herself, allowing the sun to lightly kiss her skin when someone knocked on the door. Michaela looked at her cigarette in one hand, the container of yoghurt between her thighs and the spoon in her other hand; whoever it was would have to let themselves in because it was either Calum, who had the key, or Bella, who also had the key.

“Hi Babe!” Luke said from the doorway.

Luke, Michaela had forgotten that he also had a key and yes, she was the ‘babe’ because while pretending to be Bella, she had told Luke that Michaela was away. “Hi Muffin! Come cuddle?” Michaela smiled as she got into character.

Luke raised an eyebrow at the nickname; it was probably Michaela’s doing but he was not certain yet and he had to play along. Smiling, he set the yoghurt back on the table and sat on the armrest of her chair before kissing her. If his doubts were right and it really was Michaela, he expected her to push him away but that did not happen because Michaela had wrapped one arm around his waist and had deepened the kiss. It was probably only his over-active imagination because so far, nothing had confirmed his suspicion.

“Did you forget something?”

Michaela supressed the frowned that was going to appear on her forehead and kept a straight face; what was it? Was it Luke’s birthday? She could not wish him either because it would look suspicious if it was something else. “Did I?”

“You really don’t remember?”

Michaela pressed her lips to Luke’s, silencing the other; that way, she would have some additional time to think. What could be so important that Luke was asking? It could not be Bella’s birthday because that was also her birthday and it was not her birthday. If she remembered properly after stalking Luke’s Facebook earlier that day, it was not his birthday either. What date could be so important to both Luke and Bella? Of course, that had to be it. “Happy anniversary.”

“You remembered.”

“Yeah, I wanted to surprise you and wanted it to look like I had forgotten,” she whispered and pecked Luke’s lips. Deep down, she was feeling proud of herself because she was so good at acting that it came out so naturally. Although, she was no longer pretending and was being herself because she genuinely wanted Luke; the only thing that was fake was her name.

For a second, he had thought he was going to trick whoever that girl was but he had again failed. Everything about the whole scene was saying that it was Bella but somehow, he was still not convinced; somebody could not change that much overnight. “What’s the surprise?”

“Why are you being inpatient?” Michaela laughed as she tickled Luke’s rib with her fingers.

“Stop… you know I’m ticklish… stop…”

“Are you now? No, I don’t think so,” Michaela said and kept teasing Luke.

“Babe stop… if you love me, stop.”

“Fine,” Michaela made a face and smiled as she pressed their foreheads together. “Just because I love you. We should go out tonight, to celebrate.”

“Where? Dinner and then movie at home?” Luke pulled her to her feet, sat on the chair and pulled her into his lap.

Michaela scrunched her nose. “No… We could go to get some drinks. We could also tell Ashton and Calum to join us. It’ll be fun.”

“You’re sure about this?” Luke asked with confusion.

“Yes,” Michaela nodded as she looked at the boy’s face. She had never thought that pretending to be her twin would make her end up falling for Luke but unwillingly she did. “We’ll call them later,” she whispered into Luke’s ear before pressing a kiss to his lobe.

Luke let out a little laugh at that and moved to nuzzled into Michaela’s neck. He connected his lips to the side of her neck and lapped at her skin before trailing his lips to her chin, then to her lips. When their lips again met, Michaela tightened one arm around Luke’s neck and slipped the other under the front of his shirt. Smiling against Luke’s lips, she slipped her index into his bellybutton and wriggled it around.

“You know I’m ticklish everywhere,” Luke held her hand as he said that while looking straight into her eyes.

“Aww…” she pinched his cheek playfully and tugged on it.

“I just remembered. I got a text from you earlier today and…”

“Before you say anything else, I have to let you know that it wasn’t me. It was Calum. Besides, before he sent you that, you did send a little something too.”

“Haha… That was actually Ashton. But…” Luke licked his lips as he trailed his hand up her inner thigh and under her bathrobe.

When his fingers reached her fold, Michaela halted him. “Not here…”

Smirking, Luke pulled his hand away and cupped her boob. “Where then? Here?”

With a laugh, she slapped his hand away. “You know what I mean.”

Pecking her lightly on the tip of her nose, Luke again looked into her eyes. “I love you, Bella.”

One name, just that one name and it burst that little bubble that they were in. Michaela could not help that tug in her chest and there was a bitter feeling that was rising in her throat. “Shit!”

“What happened?”

“I gotta pee.”

Luke shook his head, got up and when Michaela walked inside, he did too. Was the girl trying to run away? One moment it looked like it was Bella that was with him and the next, it looked like it was not Bella and that was confusing him up to the point where he did not know what to believe. Bella wanted to hang out with Ashton? Why? That was not all, she also wanted to go out on their anniversary; something that was unusual. Normally, they would order dinner and then cuddle on the couch while watching a couple of romantic movies. Damn it! Another thing, he knew Bella was good friend with Calum but they did not really spend that much time together and since the past few days, that was all Bella did or talked about. He also knew that Calum was closer to Michaela, which meant, the one he had been seeing for the past few days could be Michaela.

Luke groaned in frustration; he was running out of things to do to test Bella/Michaela. He ran his fingers through his hair and looked around himself as he tried to come up with an idea but while turning around on the spot, he realised there was nothing that could help him. Sighing, he dropped himself on the sofa and that was when something caught his eyes; a wallet that was on the coffee table. Luke glanced in the direction of the bathroom and quickly reached for it. After opening it, he slowly pulled the id out of the little pocket and his jaw dropped when he saw the name: Michaela Clifford. He set the wallet back on the table and stared at it. He was right; it was Michaela all along.

 


	7. Game Over

Luke placed his hand on Michaela’s lower back as he led them to a table. He sat on the chair next to her and she smiled at him; earlier that afternoon, she had almost messed things up when Luke had said ‘I love you Bella’ and she had just excused herself to the bathroom. She had felt as equally guilty as she had felt hurt. She had actually felt more hurt because she was falling for Luke and she did not want to think about the consequences when Luke and Bella would find out; they would probably be beyond mad at her. However, she had fortunately managed to handle that situation and had even spent a romantic afternoon with Luke.

“Couldn’t you have found a nicer place?” Calum asked as he looked around the bar.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Well, look around yourself. Almost everyone here looks like they’re in their forties, fifties even.”

“We aren’t here for the people, we’re here for the drinks,” Luke laughed.

“Exactly,” Michaela nodded. “Besides, I like this place. It’s quiet, cosy and intimate.”

“Intimate? Talk for yourselves.”

“Come on, we’re gonna have so much fun.”

“It better be worth it because I cancelled my date for you because you’re my best friend.”

“Hey, sorry I’m late. I was… Calum? What are you doing here?” Ashton asked, completely ignoring Luke and Michaela.

“I should ask you the same,” Calum smiled widely.

“Best friend’s duty called,” he also smiled and took a seat next to Calum.

“Same. M… Bella insisted,” Calum bit his lips as he looked at Michaela. “Anyways, I’m so glad that you’re here.”

“You two know each other?” Michaela raised an eyebrow as Luke went to get them some beers.

“Yeah, we met last night and…”

Michaela turned to Ashton and smirked. “Ashton’s the guy you slept with last night and he’s the one you’ve been so obsessed with since the morning?”

“Shut up, I’m not obsessed,” Calum mumbled in embarrassment as his cheeks started to turn pink.

“You are,” Michaela insisted.

“Who’s obsessed?” Luke questioned and set four beers on the table.

“Calum. He and Ashton met last night and he had been obsessed with him ever since.”

“Oh, Calum’s the guy you hooked up with? I have to tell you, Ashton has been the same. He has been acting weird all day.”

“Hello? We’re here,” Ashton waved his hand in front of their faces. “Stop talking about us right in front of our faces. We can hear you.”

“Right, we’re here to celebrate me and Luke. I’ve never met anyone like you in my entire life and since the first time I’ve seen you, I knew you were going to change my life. I love you Luke.”

“I love you too,” Luke smiled and pressed a kiss to her lips.

“To us,” Michaela said and raised her bottle.

“To all of us,” Ashton laughed and kissed Calum.

“Aww…” Luke smiled. “You guys are too cute.”

“Yeah, agreed but we are the stars of the evening so, quit it guys,” Michaela said playfully.

Luke set his drink on the table and turned his attention to Michaela who was telling a joke to Ashton. Although he had not heard most of it, he laughed along. Even though the girl beside him was not his girlfriend, Luke felt good when he was around her. Suddenly, the seven months that he had spent with Bella, paled in comparison to the few weeks that he had spent with Michaela. Was he falling for her? If he was honest with himself, yes, he had already had. What was he getting into? What would happen when the real Bella would show up? He did know that but he wanted to cherish the present that he was spending with Michaela because he had spent some crazy times with her and truthfully, that was the way he liked to live his life: carefree and spontaneous.

Ashton snapped his fingers in front of Luke’s face. “Where are you lost?”

“I’m right here…”

“No, you’re probably thinking when you’d get home and fuck Bella,” the oldest of them leant closer to Luke and laughed. “If you’re horny, you can get your asses home. I’m in good company,” he motioned towards Calum.

“I’m not. You’re the one who can’t wait to get home and you met him like what, yesterday?” Luke whispered back. “One day and you’re already trying to get rid of your best friend. Can’t believe you’re choosing a one-day fling over so many years of friendship.”

“Stop being so dramatic. You know it’s not true.”

“Hey Luke,” Michaela said as she emptied her drink and placed a hand on Luke’s thigh. “You wanna get out of here?”

“Yeah, he wants to. He’s been waiting for it,” Ashton grinned when Luke glared at him.

“See you lovebirds,” Calum waved as he downed another shot and moved closer to Ashton. “Shall we go too?”

“Can I finish my drink first? You know, it’s been a weird night.”

“Yeah, I can’t believe we’ve been drinking in a bar full of old people.”

“Not that.”

“What then?”

“I’ve known Bella for as long as she has been dating Luke but I’ve never seen her like this. She been laughing and talking and joking and all those public display of affections that have been going on. And not to forget the clothes,” he added when he recalled the mini skirt that she had worn that night. “It’s just… weird.”

Calum laughed. “That’s because she’s not Bella.”

“Excuse me?” he frowned.

“She’s Michie.”

“Michie? Bella’s twin sister Michaela?”

“Yep, the one and only Michaela, my best friend.”

“I think you’re drunk. You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“No, Bella is away for work purposes. She’s been gone for a while actually and the one who was with us tonight was Michie. She’s been pretending to be Bella because she has a crush on Luke. But don’t tell Luke, it’s a secret. Shh…”

“That explains it all. That’s why she’s been acting odd lately. Fuck, I gotta tell Luke.” Ashton took his phone from the table and quickly dialled Luke’s number. Five calls later, Luke was still not answering and he cursed loudly.

“What’s wrong baby?” Calum slurred.

“He’s not picking up.”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about them. Let’s get out of here.”

**The next morning…**

Luke groaned when his phone buzzed on the bedside table and he lightly blinked before ignoring it. He rolled to his other side and smiled as his eyes landed on Michaela. Suddenly, the memories of the previous night came rushing back to him. He had done it. He had sex with her and he still could not believe it. They had spent long minutes kissing, pressing their naked bodies together, teasing each other before finally having sex. He pushed a strand of hair off Michaela’s face and pecked her cheek before turning his attention to the phone that was again ringing. Luke got up, bundle the bedsheet around his hips and walked to the living room with his phone. He noticed he had seventeen missed calls from Ashton and, frowning, he decided to give him a call back.

“Don’t tell me you had sex with her,” the boy said, the moment he answered.

“Hi, I’m good too. What about you?”

“This is no time to joke Luke. I’m serious. Do you have any idea what’s going on?”

“Do you?” Luke yawned. “Oh, I know. Calum probably dumped you last night and you’re making a fuss about it.”

“This is not about me. It’s about you. You’re being fooled.”

“Am I?”

“Yes. Please tell me you did not have sex with her.”

Luke smiled. “I think it’s too late for that because I did.”

“There’s something you need to know. She’s not Bella.”

“I know.”

“What?”

“Umm… I saw her id and I just went along because I don’t know… I like being with her.”

“So you’re telling me you’re now in love with Bella’s sister?”

“Maybe… I think I am.”

“I wonder if you know what love really is.”

“Yes, I know. I’ve been spending days with Michaela and I know her. Unlike you, who think you’re in love with someone you met twenty-four hours ago.”

“Like I said, this is not about me. And does she know that you know?”

“No, but I’m going to tell her. Is that why you’ve been calling so many times?”

“Yeah, I wanted to spare you of the guilt of unknowingly cheating on Bella but hey, you did it willingly. What can I say in that?”

“How about you go back to bed, where I know Calum still is?”

“Good idea. Bye.”

“Hold on…”

“What?”

“How’d you know anyway?”

“Calum was drunk last night and he kind of blurted everything out. Can I go now?”

“Yeah.”

Luke dropped his head on the back on the couch and closed his eyes. Around the same time, Michaela walked into the living room, wearing only Luke’s shirt, and leant against the wall as she watched him. There was that thing about Luke that always made her smile and that day her smile was even brighter because of the previous night. She had sex with a guy for the first time and she was glad that guy was Luke. It had felt different but it was totally worth it. Slowly, she walked to the couch and took a seat beside Luke. That was it, she had to tell him; she could not do that any longer. She knew Luke would probably hate her afterwards but she could not keep him in the dark anymore.

“Luke?” Michaela said quietly and licked her lips.

“Hmm…”

“I… uhh… there’s something I need to tell you. Please don’t get mad at me or don’t hate me. I didn’t do it with the intention of hurting you. I’m not Bella, I’m Michaela.”

“What do you mean, you’re not Bella?”

“I mean, I’m not Bella. Bella… huh… she’s out of town. I don’t know when she’ll be back. Our phones got exchanged and she couldn’t contact you. So, she told me to tell you she would be back as soon as she could. I didn’t want to pretend to be my sister but you came over and you mistook me for her and I just played along. Then things got more complicated and I realised I was falling for you and I did not want it to stop. I wanted to be with you and I knew that if you knew I was not Bella, it would not have been possible but I can’t lie to you anymore. I’m sorry.”

“Hmm…” Luke sighed as he stared at her.

“Say something, please.”

“Why? Why would you do that to me?” Luke looked at her with disappointed eyes as he tried to fake a hurt emotion. “What have I ever done to you? I can’t believe it.”

“I really am sorry,” Michaela looked down at her hand with guilt.

“Michaela, I need you to look at me now,” Luke said firmly. The moment they locked eyes, he leant in and pressed their lips together.

“You’re not mad at me?” She asked, the moment they pulled away.

“Funnily no.”

“Why not?”

“I knew already. I mean, at first, I thought it was just me, imagining things. Then, Ashton pointed a few things out and I wanted to make sure he was wrong. But guess what? He was not and I just played along because I like you too. I didn’t things to end between us because you’re not the one you supposedly were. So, I played along.”

“So, you were making a fool out of me too? Hmm… What are we gonna do now? I mean, when Bella gets back?”

“We’ll think about that later. Right now…” Luke pulled her into his lap. “I have a pretty good idea of what we could do.”

“Ok…”

“I love you, Michaela.”

She sighed happily. “It feels so good to hear you say my name. I love you too,” she mumbled against Luke’s lips.

Luke put his fingers under Michaela’s chin and kissed her while she wrapped an arm around his neck and buried her other hand into Luke’s hair. For the first time, there was nothing holding her back and she could kiss Luke however way she wanted; for the first time, she was kissing Luke without lying to him or without pretending to be someone else and it felt like the most amazing feeling she had ever felt. The hand that she had around the other boy’s neck trailed down his chest, to disappear under the bedsheet and that action caused Luke to gasp against her lips.

“What the hell is going on here?”

Both Luke and Michaela looked in the direction of the intruder before Michaela spoke. “Bella?”


	8. Ending?

Bella let go of her suitcase and dropped her duffel bag by her foot as she stared at them. Michaela quickly moved away and, taking a deep breath, she lifted her eyes to look at her twin. By the look on her face, she could tell that Bella was furious and why should she not be? Anyone in her place would have been if they had walked in and seen their sibling all over their boyfriend. Although Bella had not mentioned when she would be back, Michaela had not expected it to be that soon. When Bella made no move or said nothing, she got up and walked to her.

“Get away from me,” Bella shouted angrily and pushed Michaela’s hand away when the latter tried to place the hand on her shoulder; she did not fail to notice that Michaela was wearing the shirt that she had given to Luke.

“Bella, I can explain…”

“What is there to explain? Everything is right in front of me,” Bella said on the same angry tone. “I do not wish to speak with you.”

Luke adjusted the bedsheet around his hips as Bella walked towards him. “Bella…”

“Luke, I am sorry. I didn’t know Michie would do something like this in my absence. I knew she loves switching places with me but I didn’t know she would pretend to be me behind my back and take advantage of my boyfriend.”

“Bella…” Michaela said as she placed a hand on her shoulder from behind. “Please, listen to me. Just let me explain everything.”

“I told you, I don’t want to talk to you. Why don’t you understand?” Bella shoved her away and Luke immediately got to his feet, holding the sheet securely with one hand, while taking Bella’s hand in the other.

“Bella, will you please calm down?”

“How can I be calm after what she did? How can you be so cool after what Michaela did to you? She used you,” Bella glared at his boyfriend. “Can you wear some clothes?”

“Yeah, I’ll be right back.”

Michaela eyed Luke as he walked away and then turned her attention back to Bella. “It’s not at all what you’re thinking. Things just happened and…”

“Enough. How many lies are you gonna speak to cover up for what you’ve done?”

Michaela ran her fingers through her messy hair as she tried to think of a way to explain to her sister how things had happened between her and Luke. If she thought back to how it had actually started, things had happened that way because of how Bella had suddenly decided to disappear for a while and had left everything for Michaela to handle, including her boyfriend. Taking everything into consideration, it was mostly Bella’s fault. She again looked at her sister and realised Luke had joined her. Luke was standing beside Bella and it felt like she was the only one who was losing something, despite what Luke had said to her hours ago.

“Michie, I don’t want you to stay here anymore,” Bella crossed her arms over her chest.

“This is my house too.”

“No, this is my house and I let you stay here because you’re my twin but I don’t want you here anymore. Just go. Stop looking at Luke when I’m talking to you.”

“Yes, it was my fault and I don’t regret anything,” Michaela spat. “I loved every moment of it and yes, I love Luke and there is nothing you can do about it. Kicking me out isn’t going to change anything or how I feel.”

“You little insolent. I always side you in everything and this is what I get in return? Just get out, Michaela.”

“I will but only after hearing what Luke has to say,” Michaela said while looking straight at Luke. Earlier Luke had told her that he knew she was not Bella and that he still loved her but at that moment, he was quietly standing there.

“What will he say? He is as much a victim as I am.”

“No,” Luke shook his head. “Look, we had some amazing time together but the little time that I’ve spent with Michaela have been the best of my life. You were wrong when you said I was a victim. Michaela has not used me. I knew it was her and not you and I knew what I was doing. I know she’s your sister but no one has ever made me feel things the way she has. I love her too.”

Bella jaw dropped and she stayed there quiet and unmoving.

“Bella, say something.”

“I trusted you, both of you, and you crushed my faith in my own house. Get the fuck out of my house, both of you.”

Michaela walked to her room quietly and shoved everything back into her suitcases. She knew Bella and she knew it would take time but she also knew her twin would forgive them; she just needed to give her some space. When she walked back into the living room, Luke was no longer there but when she exited the building, she saw the boy waiting outside.

“Hey, you’re still here?”

“I called Ashton. He’s coming to pick me up. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. You?”

“I’m good I guess.”

“Don’t worry about Bella. She’ll come around. Do you think Ashton can drop me at Calum’s house? I guess I’ll be staying there for a few days until I find my own place.”

Luke took Michaela’s hand into his. “Or you could come to stay with me. If you’d like to, of course.”

“What about Ashton? Won’t he mind?”

“Ashton?” Luke smiled. “No, Ashton likes you. So, will you come stay with me?”

“Yes. Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking around xx


End file.
